The invention relates generally to electronic message delivery systems and more particularly to methods and systems for providing user management of transmissions of electronic messages between servers and client devices.
Systems that support the exchange of text messages among users often allow files to be attached to messages. As one example, electronic mail (i.e., email) may have an attachment that is a word processing document, or an audio, video or graphics file. As another example, a download of a message from a web site on the World Wide Web may include an attached text file in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or an attached audio, video or graphics file.
Messages may be transmitted from a sending client device (such as a computer) or from a remote server (such as a web server) to a message transport server that supports a computer or other client device at which the receiving party attempts to access the message. In an email environment, a sending party may generate an email message at a first computer that transmits the message to a first email server. If the first email server does not support message access for the party to whom the message is directed, the first email server forwards the message to a second email server that supports access by the receiving party. The message is stored at the second server for download by the targeted party.
Depending upon the client device operated by the receiving party and its associated email server, new messages that are stored in the associated email server are selectively downloaded one message at a time, or are downloaded as an aggregate data stream of all new messages. In either case, a compound message having an attached file is typically downloaded as a unit. The download time for messages with attachments including graphics and/or spreadsheets can be considerable. In addition, once commenced, the downloading typically causes the client device to be locked into a wait mode in which other software applications within the client device cannot be accessed.
In a typical message exchange system where all new email messages are downloaded in the aggregate data stream form, accessing email messages may lead to an unproductive waiting period while downloading non-essential email messages with attached files. Even in a message exchange system that allows a user to download one email message at a time, downloading a single email message with a large attached file may take several minutes. Therefore, an inadvertent command by the receiving party to download an email message with a large attachment can also result in an unproductive waiting period. The inadvertent command may be a simple click of a mouse while a screen cursor is on a wrong button or display of a graphical user interface. The waiting period may be increased if the receiving party is remotely accessing the associated server at a slow connection speed. In addition, when forwarding a compound message having an attached file, the attached file is always uploaded from the client device to the server, increasing the overall waiting period when forwarding the received message is warranted.
Recent developments have allowed more flexibility in accessing and downloading electronic messages by the receiving party in order to reduce unnecessary download time. The fourth version of Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP4) and Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) allow users to download a portion of a message that is stored in the associated server. For example, a user may set his/her computer to download only the headings contained in the text portion of messages when accessing the associated server. The headings are viewed by the user in order to determine whether to download the entire email message along with the attachment. Depending upon the preference of the user, the entire message and any attached message may be downloaded at that time or at a later time.
Although IMAP4 and MIME provide greater user control of accessing and downloading electronic messages from a server than what had been available in the past, employing IMAP4 and MIME in a conventional manner typically requires much supervision. Decisions for downloading a particular attachment of an email are performed manually by the user on an individual basis. Furthermore, IMAP4 and MIME do not alleviate the waiting period during a forwarding process.
What is needed is a messaging method and system that provide extensive user control for downloading attachments of emails, while eliminating the need for individual decisions and input by the user in order to download or upload a desired attachment.
A method and system provide increased user management of electronic message transmissions between servers and client devices, particularly transmissions of files attached to electronic messages. The method and system operate to selectively transfer attached files to and from a client device. When accessing electronic messages with attached files stored at a server by a user, attached files that satisfy a prescribed requirement are automatically downloaded from the server to the client device utilized by the user. As a second feature, when forwarding received electronic messages with attached files from a client device, only the attached files that have been modified are uploaded from the client device to the server.
The screening of attached files for auto-downloading is controlled primarily by an attachment filter located within the client device. However, the actual execution of the screening process may occur at the server or at the client device. In the preferred embodiment, the attachment filter is a computer program that is configured to recognize the prescribed requirement that triggers the automatic download. The requirement may be selected or modified by the user to customize the screening process.
A criterion that may be utilized as the prescribed requirement for the screening process is the size of the attached file to be auto-downloaded. A maximum size may be input to the client device as a threshold to allow only attached files smaller than the maximum size to be auto-downloaded from the server to the client device. The prescribed requirement may also be characterized by the maximum download time. In this configuration, the attachment filter only allows attached files that may be downloaded faster than a preset threshold download time to be auto-downloaded. The download time can be calculated by factoring in the size of an attached file and the speed of the connection between the server and the client device.
Another criterion that can be utilized by the attachment filter is the identity of the sender. A list of senders may be entered into the client device, such that only attached files that were sent from a person on the list of senders are auto-downloaded. Alternatively, the list of senders may be utilized to auto-download only attached files from senders not on the list of senders.
Similarly, a list of file formats may be utilized to screen attached files. The list of file formats may be entered into the client device by the user such that only attached files that are in a format on the list of file formats are auto-downloaded from the server to the client device. The list of file formats may also be utilized to screen out attached files having a format on the list of. file formats. By carefully selecting the list of file formats, the user can effectively configure the attachment filter to allow or prohibit certain types of attached files to be auto-downloaded.
The screening process may include one or more of the above-mentioned criteria in any combination for selecting which attached files are to be auto-downloaded. Preferably, the user selectively sets the desired criteria in order to auto-download very specific types of attached files. The method and system also allow the user to selectively disengage the screening process, such that all attached files are auto-downloaded from the server to the client device.
During a forwarding operation, attached files are examined to determine whether the attached files need to be uploaded from the client device to the server. Unmodified attached files are not uploaded with the email messages that are being forwarded. Copies of attached files are affixed to appropriate email messages at the server prior to being transferred to target recipients. However, modified attached files are uploaded with the email messages for forwarding.
The screening process of attached files for downloading and the uploading process for forwarding attached files are preferably utilized in combination to efficiently transfer attached files between server and client devices. However, the processes may be separately implemented.